Day 20: Palenque

February 27, 2006

Just another 2 hours via Mex 186 and we are in the beautiful Palenque. What
a pity we didn't reach it yesterday! The little town of Palenque is full of
places to stay: hostels, budget hotels, mid-range hotels and camping areas
take your pick! Not too touristy, but not completely isolated either - just
the right amount of fellow travelers to share the curious looks of the locals
with. You can even camp at a designated area inside the archeological site,
if you manage to get in before they close the entrance (around 4 or 5PM).

According to Dovi, the Maya ruins of Palenque are the most impressive of
what we have seen up to now. (Zee's favourite was Edzna). Attitudes aside,
if you have a chance to see Palenque, don't hesitate. The remains of the Mayan
buildings might not be so impressive as those of Chichen-Itza or Uxmal, but
the lush tropical forest all around the ruins (you actually get to walk through
it) compares to nothing we have seen in the Maya World of Yucatan. The surrounding
jungle is what makes Palenque so mysterious and unique. When looking at the
pics, pay special attention to the green hills sticking out in the background
- these are the jungle-covered pyramids and temples yet to be excavated!

We spent almost 3 hours admiring Palenque and would have stayed for a "howler
monkey watching trip" (the local boys were offering it at a little additional
cost), however, our time in Mexico was literally ticking away, and we still
had about 6-8 hours of driving to the border of Guatemala. As a proof that
we were in the real tropics, the humid heat turned into pouring rain at the
time we were leaving Palenque. Our first rain in Mexico :)

It was late in the afternoon when we eventually arrived in San Cristobal
de las Casas and just couldn't help staying there for at least one night!
:) The city, which seemed to be located slightly of-the-beaten-track, appeared
to be one of the liveliest and most vibrant places in the entire Mexico! (For
its rather recent political turmoil and rare but still possible sporadic outbursts
of politically motivated violence, the state of Chiapas is one of the less
popular states among tourists even today) To our greatest surprise, San Cristobal
was also the most English-speaking Mexican city. We haven't seen so many students
and backpackers from all over the world anywhere else in the country. Numerous
ads about apartments being rented out for students suggested that there were
many foreigners studying in San Cristobal. No wonder - the lovely city seemed
like a perfect choice for a Spanish course before continuing down south through
the countries where an English-speaking person is a rarity.

Although described by most of the travel guides as belonging to the colonial
town group, San Cristobal de las Casas looked more Caribbean than Mexican
or Spanish. Multicolored one-story buildings along the narrow streets, artsy
cafes and vivid "mercados" all added to the tropical mood of the
city. Located quite high up in the mountains, San Cristobal was comparatively
chilly despite its tropical ambiance and it rained in the evening, but that
didn't stop us from finding a salsa club and dancing the last night in Mexico
away :) (Even on Monday night there were several places playing live Latin
music that stayed open until 2-3AM)

Tip #1: There are lots of nice and clean $20 hotels in the very center
of San Cristobal.

Recommendation #1: "Salon Mundial" on the pedestrian street,
on the corner of 1o de Marzo and 20 de Noviembre. Free admission, good live
music, 2 for 1 drinks (might be just Monday nights), open until 3AM and full
interesting people from different countries.

Recommendation #2: Looks like we missed an interesting side trip while
in San Cristobal. There are 90-minute boat trips to Canon del Sumidero that
can be arranged from Embarcadero Cahuare or Chiapa de Corzo. The boats are
supposed to go past incredible kilometer-high cliffs; plenty of monkeys, birds
and crocs to see.